Strengths and weaknesses as a Tutor.

Weakness: I am too quick to offer suggestions. It seems that, without thinking twice, I see a "better" way to do something and I offer it to the student. Of course, he's more than eager to take it without thought. Therein lies the problem, without "thought." It's hard for me to create situation in which the burden of creation is placed on the student's back. I can accomplish this sort of thing better when it comes to minor problems, but I''m frightened by the thought of "three minutes of silence" that would probably ensue if I asked questions about the deeper stuff.

Strength: I feel that I'm able to create an atmosphere of ease for the student: one in which he might at least be able to be honest about the ideas he has in mind. If I could combine this strength with an inprovement on my above weakness, I think that the effectiveness of my tutoring would augment considerably. In other words, students would not only feel like they can be real about their papers, but they would also have the obligation to do so.